Butterine> Beaters, 2010, 11 x 17″, Lightjet c-print

Butterine> Beaters Pink, 2009, 11 x 15″, Lightjet c-print

Deanne Achong is a Vancouver based artist whose work was recently part of the Twitter/Art+Social Media exhibit at the Diane Farris Gallery this past April. The photographs above were part of the exhibit and are from a new body of work called ‘Butterine’. Achong’s subject matter includes margarine, food dye and the cochineal bug (used to make red dye). Continued viewing of her work over the past month brought to mind Joseph Beuys and his incorporation of margarine, butter, other foodstuffs and animals into his art. Deanne brings an element of Beuys to her work yet juxtaposes her love of Beuys with 21st century society’s frenetic, schizophrenic obsession with food related issues, ie: Food Inc vs the Food Movement. There is a certain immediacy and something a little frightening lurking beneath these beautiful photographs. Could it be a Betty Crocker doppelgänger’s nod to Joseph Beuys? When I first saw this work – I thought they were screen shots to a video piece. I imagined entering a blacked-out room, 3 large video screens, Butterine’s imagery accompanied by a cacophony of sound – a sense of urgency would surely ensue.